Before opening night even arrived, Hopewell Valley Central High School’s cast of Pippin had already played to one of its most appreciative audiences.
On Wednesday afternoon, the student performers presented a full dress rehearsal of the musical for members of the Hopewell Valley senior citizen community — a long-standing tradition that offers both outreach and a first live audience for the cast.
“It’s really made me feel welcome and also a powerful force on stage because we all unite to get it,” said senior Kayla Reber of the experience performing with the ensemble.
The HVCHS production of Pippin — the Stephen Schwartz musical about a young man searching for purpose — opens publicly this week with performances Feb. 27–28 and March 6–7 in the school’s Performing Arts Center.
A classic reimagined on the Jersey boardwalk
Director Katie Rochon Bartolacci said this year’s production revisits a show the school staged more than a decade ago — but with a completely new concept.
The team re-set the story in a stylized early-20th-century Atlantic City boardwalk world, complete with sideshow attractions and nods to the Steel Pier.
“We were like, what if we set it on a boardwalk?” she said, noting the appeal of tying the show to New Jersey imagery while keeping its universal themes intact.
The production also leans heavily into the musical’s original Bob Fosse choreography style — a demanding, jazz-based movement language that showcases HVCHS’s strong dancers.
“It just felt like the right show for these kids,” Rochon Bartolacci said. “They’re fun and have tons of personality, and it felt like a show that would show that off.”
Seniors closing their theater chapter together
For Weber and fellow senior Maddie Lynch, Pippin marks the final HVCHS musical after four years on stage.
“I think we ended on a good note,” Lynch said.
Both described the show as lighter and more joyful than some recent productions — even while retaining the musical’s darker undertones about identity and fulfillment.
“In comparison to some of the other shows, it’s been a lot lighter,” Reber said. “It’s been a nice solidifying way to go out of high school.”
The seniors also embraced one of the show’s signature theatrical devices: direct audience interaction and fourth-wall breaking.
“I really like how you can connect with and break the fourth wall,” Reber said. “I hope they go out feeling like ‘oh wow’ — but also kind of creeped out in a way.”
A demanding lead role
Junior Lewis Wasden takes on the title role of Pippin, a character searching for meaning through a series of life adventures.
“It’s been really fun,” Wasden said. “It’s been kind of stressful … but also really fun. There’s a lot of humor in it which I enjoyed working on.”
He said he connects with the character’s restless curiosity.
“He’s always trying to find fulfillment in the different stuff that he does,” Wasden said.
Ensemble energy at the center
Like many HVCHS productions, Pippin features a large ensemble that fills the stage with movement and vocals — something students say changes the entire performance dynamic.
“Casts with large ensembles that fill up the stage kind of just have a different effect,” Wasden said.
For Weber, that shared energy defines the experience.
“The people kind of make the place,” Lynch added.
A story teens instinctively understand
Rochon Bartolacci said Pippin resonates particularly well with high-school performers because of its central theme: searching for identity.
“Teenagers get this story,” she said. “They want to know who they’re going to be when they grow up. They’re all Pippin.”
Though written in the 1970s, the musical’s themes remain universal — one reason it continues to appeal to both student performers and audiences.
“It’s such a universal story,” she said.
Opening nights ahead
HVCHS’s Pippin features classic songs including “Magic to Do” and “Corner of the Sky,” with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz.
Performances run Feb. 27–28 and March 6–7 at 7 p.m. in the Hopewell Valley Central High School Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $12 for students and seniors and $15 for adults. They be purchased online or at the door.
